ARE CURRENT ORAL-CONTRACEPTIVES ASSOCIATE D WITH AN INCREASED RISK OFLIVER-TUMORS

Early oral contraceptives combining a high dose of ethinylestradiol wi th a progestogen responsible for marked androgenic effects have been s hown to increase the risk of liver adenoma and to a lesser extent of h epatocellular carcinoma, and have also been suggested as a risk factor for focal nodular hyperplasia. To date, there have been no reports of studies specifically designed to evaluate the risk of liver tumors wi th current oral contraceptives combining a low dose of ethinylestradio l with a third-generation progestogen. No cases of liver tumor were id entified in two retrospective studies conducted in Sweden from 1965 to 1994 in patients under contraceptives containing small amounts of eth inylestradiol or in a retrospective study done in Germany from 1971 to 1994 in patients taking oral contraceptives containing a third-genera tion progestogen. The natural estrogens used as menopausal replacement therapy do not increase the risk of liver tumors and may even protect against the occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma.